Harry's jaw dropped as he listened to what was going on outside his room.
Malfoy was there? Because he'd refused to be a Death Eater? Harry hadn't
expected this. After he heard Severus and Malfoy moved past his door and
into the bathroom, he went to sit on his bed, and pulled out a book to read.
He knew Severus would come see him when he was done with Malfoy.
Just as he'd thought, a quarter of an hour later Severus came in and sat at the end of Harry's bed.
"Draco's here." Severus paused and cleared his throat. "His father's basically disowned him because he refused to be a Death Eater."
"Oh?" Harry tried to sound surprised. He didn't want Severus to know he'd been listening through the door. "Well, what're we going to do? Do you think I'll be safe?"
"I don't think Draco is a danger to you at the moment. Besides, you can't stay in here for the rest of the summer." Severus smirked.
"So, you don't think he'll try to. . . I don't know, rat me out or something? Not if his father's disowned him?"
"No, I think you'll be all right. What do you think?"
"I think I'll have to trust him. I have to leave this room sometime." Harry gave a crooked smile.
Severus just nodded and left the room. He seemed to have been covering a smile, though, and Harry wondered if there was something going on that he hadn't heard through the door.
---- ---- ---- ---- ---- ---- ----
Draco woke up the next morning feeling safe and well rested. His head didn't even hurt as badly anymore. He got up to go to the bathroom, and when he finished he went to the kitchen. He saw someone he'd never thought would be there.
"Morning, Malfoy!" Harry Potter smiled up at him over his breakfast.
"Potter? What the hell are you doing here?" Draco yelled.
Just then, Severus entered the room. "Same as you, Draco." He said. "Hiding from your father." Severus squeezed Draco's shoulder.
Draco just stood there, dumbfounded.
"I expect you two to be civil to one another, all right? If we're all going to spend the summer together, I want it to be as pleasant as possible, considering the circumstances." Severus looked from one boy to the other.
"All right, Severus," Potter said brightly, but his expression darkened a bit as he continued. "I will if he does."
Severus looked at Draco again. "Draco?"
Draco finally snapped out of his trance. "All right." He muttered, glaring at Potter.
---- ---- ---- ---- ---- ---- ----
Later that afternoon, Severus left Harry and Malfoy alone so he could run some errands. Harry normally did chores each night before bed, and with all the excitement the past two days, he hadn't really had a chance, and the house was a mess. I suppose now is as good a time as ever. Harry thought. He figured he'd best do it while Severus was gone, so he would be surprised. Best to stay on his good side when his favorite student is around.
As Harry started cleaning, he heard a snicker from Malfoy's direction. "What are you doing?" Malfoy asked.
"Cleaning up." Harry said shortly.
"Severus makes you clean?" Malfoy laughed.
Harry didn't bother to turn and face Malfoy as he answered. "He doesn't make me. He's told me I don't have to if I don't want to. But I do want to."
"Really? Well, it's too bad you can't put that kind of effort into your own appearance." Malfoy smirked.
"What do you mean?" Harry asked flatly, looking round at Malfoy.
"What do you mean, what do I mean? Look at you, you're a mess! Your clothes are always wrinkled, and really! Would it be so hard to run a comb through that rat's nest that you call hair?"
Harry snapped at this. He dropped the papers he was organizing, and tackled Malfoy on to the couch. He ripped at the other boy's perfectly styled hair, pulling strands loose everywhere. When he was sure that Malfoy's hair was thoroughly messed up, he sat back on his heels and laughed.
Malfoy, shocked and indignant, stared at Harry a moment before standing up and stalking off to the bathroom, muttering something that sounded suspiciously like "Psycho."
---- ---- ---- ---- ---- ---- ----
What the hell is his problem? Draco thought to himself as he slowly tried to put his hair back into place. He's just jealous, I bet. He just wants to be as good looking as I am. Draco smiled at himself in the mirror.
When Draco finally left the bathroom, he found that Potter had finished cleaning and was now sitting on the couch, reading. Draco lay down and stretched himself out on the couch, his feet almost bumping the other boy's legs. Satisfied that he was hogging nearly all the couch, he rested his arms behind his head and closed his eyes.
A few minutes later, Potter spoke. "Why'd you refuse to be a Death Eater?" He asked.
Draco cracked one eye open and saw that Potter obviously hadn't looked up from his book yet. "What's it to you?"
Potter still didn't look up, and he shrugged. "Just curious. I guess I just always thought you would jump at the chance to be a Death Eater. The way you've always gloated about your father being one and all. You know?"
Draco sighed and opened his other eye. "Not that it's any of your business, Potter, but he asked me to do something I couldn't do. So don't get excited. I'm not coming over to the 'good' side anytime soon."
"Okay." was all Potter said.
---- ---- ---- ---- ---- ---- ----
When Severus returned home, he was surprised to find that the house was spotless, inside and out. What's more, he found Harry and Draco sitting together and acting civil. Not just civil, actually. They were being friendly.
Neither boy had noticed Severus enter the room, and Draco spoke. "So this is how muggles live, eh, Potter? They graduate, get jobs as police officers and 100,000 dollar salaries, a big house by the beach, and have twins every ten spaces or so?"
Harry laughed. "No, I think it's more like a bit of them don't graduate, or even go to college. Then they get crappy jobs with 20,000 dollar salaries or so, a small three bedroom flat, and they hardly ever have their kids in pairs."
Both boys laughed, and Severus felt a little confused. Were they actually getting along? The two worst enemies at Hogwarts? Laughing and playing together like childhood friends? Severus made his presence known.
"What's going on here?" He asked.
Harry turned his head to look at Severus, and Draco raised his head from the game board.
"Oh, hi Severus! Back already?" Harry said.
"Are you two getting along?" Severus took a few steps towards the boys.
Draco smiled. "We called a truce. We figured we should try a little harder to get along. It wouldn't to any good to kill one another or drive you mad, would it?"
Severus frowned. "No, I suppose not." Why hadn't they cared about this before? He shook himself and walked into the kitchen to make himself lunch, leaving the boys to their game.
***
TBC...
Just as he'd thought, a quarter of an hour later Severus came in and sat at the end of Harry's bed.
"Draco's here." Severus paused and cleared his throat. "His father's basically disowned him because he refused to be a Death Eater."
"Oh?" Harry tried to sound surprised. He didn't want Severus to know he'd been listening through the door. "Well, what're we going to do? Do you think I'll be safe?"
"I don't think Draco is a danger to you at the moment. Besides, you can't stay in here for the rest of the summer." Severus smirked.
"So, you don't think he'll try to. . . I don't know, rat me out or something? Not if his father's disowned him?"
"No, I think you'll be all right. What do you think?"
"I think I'll have to trust him. I have to leave this room sometime." Harry gave a crooked smile.
Severus just nodded and left the room. He seemed to have been covering a smile, though, and Harry wondered if there was something going on that he hadn't heard through the door.
---- ---- ---- ---- ---- ---- ----
Draco woke up the next morning feeling safe and well rested. His head didn't even hurt as badly anymore. He got up to go to the bathroom, and when he finished he went to the kitchen. He saw someone he'd never thought would be there.
"Morning, Malfoy!" Harry Potter smiled up at him over his breakfast.
"Potter? What the hell are you doing here?" Draco yelled.
Just then, Severus entered the room. "Same as you, Draco." He said. "Hiding from your father." Severus squeezed Draco's shoulder.
Draco just stood there, dumbfounded.
"I expect you two to be civil to one another, all right? If we're all going to spend the summer together, I want it to be as pleasant as possible, considering the circumstances." Severus looked from one boy to the other.
"All right, Severus," Potter said brightly, but his expression darkened a bit as he continued. "I will if he does."
Severus looked at Draco again. "Draco?"
Draco finally snapped out of his trance. "All right." He muttered, glaring at Potter.
---- ---- ---- ---- ---- ---- ----
Later that afternoon, Severus left Harry and Malfoy alone so he could run some errands. Harry normally did chores each night before bed, and with all the excitement the past two days, he hadn't really had a chance, and the house was a mess. I suppose now is as good a time as ever. Harry thought. He figured he'd best do it while Severus was gone, so he would be surprised. Best to stay on his good side when his favorite student is around.
As Harry started cleaning, he heard a snicker from Malfoy's direction. "What are you doing?" Malfoy asked.
"Cleaning up." Harry said shortly.
"Severus makes you clean?" Malfoy laughed.
Harry didn't bother to turn and face Malfoy as he answered. "He doesn't make me. He's told me I don't have to if I don't want to. But I do want to."
"Really? Well, it's too bad you can't put that kind of effort into your own appearance." Malfoy smirked.
"What do you mean?" Harry asked flatly, looking round at Malfoy.
"What do you mean, what do I mean? Look at you, you're a mess! Your clothes are always wrinkled, and really! Would it be so hard to run a comb through that rat's nest that you call hair?"
Harry snapped at this. He dropped the papers he was organizing, and tackled Malfoy on to the couch. He ripped at the other boy's perfectly styled hair, pulling strands loose everywhere. When he was sure that Malfoy's hair was thoroughly messed up, he sat back on his heels and laughed.
Malfoy, shocked and indignant, stared at Harry a moment before standing up and stalking off to the bathroom, muttering something that sounded suspiciously like "Psycho."
---- ---- ---- ---- ---- ---- ----
What the hell is his problem? Draco thought to himself as he slowly tried to put his hair back into place. He's just jealous, I bet. He just wants to be as good looking as I am. Draco smiled at himself in the mirror.
When Draco finally left the bathroom, he found that Potter had finished cleaning and was now sitting on the couch, reading. Draco lay down and stretched himself out on the couch, his feet almost bumping the other boy's legs. Satisfied that he was hogging nearly all the couch, he rested his arms behind his head and closed his eyes.
A few minutes later, Potter spoke. "Why'd you refuse to be a Death Eater?" He asked.
Draco cracked one eye open and saw that Potter obviously hadn't looked up from his book yet. "What's it to you?"
Potter still didn't look up, and he shrugged. "Just curious. I guess I just always thought you would jump at the chance to be a Death Eater. The way you've always gloated about your father being one and all. You know?"
Draco sighed and opened his other eye. "Not that it's any of your business, Potter, but he asked me to do something I couldn't do. So don't get excited. I'm not coming over to the 'good' side anytime soon."
"Okay." was all Potter said.
---- ---- ---- ---- ---- ---- ----
When Severus returned home, he was surprised to find that the house was spotless, inside and out. What's more, he found Harry and Draco sitting together and acting civil. Not just civil, actually. They were being friendly.
Neither boy had noticed Severus enter the room, and Draco spoke. "So this is how muggles live, eh, Potter? They graduate, get jobs as police officers and 100,000 dollar salaries, a big house by the beach, and have twins every ten spaces or so?"
Harry laughed. "No, I think it's more like a bit of them don't graduate, or even go to college. Then they get crappy jobs with 20,000 dollar salaries or so, a small three bedroom flat, and they hardly ever have their kids in pairs."
Both boys laughed, and Severus felt a little confused. Were they actually getting along? The two worst enemies at Hogwarts? Laughing and playing together like childhood friends? Severus made his presence known.
"What's going on here?" He asked.
Harry turned his head to look at Severus, and Draco raised his head from the game board.
"Oh, hi Severus! Back already?" Harry said.
"Are you two getting along?" Severus took a few steps towards the boys.
Draco smiled. "We called a truce. We figured we should try a little harder to get along. It wouldn't to any good to kill one another or drive you mad, would it?"
Severus frowned. "No, I suppose not." Why hadn't they cared about this before? He shook himself and walked into the kitchen to make himself lunch, leaving the boys to their game.
***
TBC...